Hello! I’m Doctor Atoosa Kourosh, MD, MPH, pediatric immunologist—and food allergy sufferer

Ever wished you could have that luscious-looking dessert you spied at your community potluck, but had to abstain because even thinking about its ingredients makes you break out in hives? Or maybe you’re deeply hankering for something sweet but your new way of eating frowns upon cane sugar, so you (grumpily) force yourself to go without? Been there and BEEN THERE. I discovered I have both a wheat and a dairy allergy, and, as a doctor, I’m always trying to follow my own advice to eat healthfully.

So I decided to make my own desserts using allergy-friendly ingredients and alternative sweeteners. As an immunologist with a nutritionist mother and a passion for baking, I have spent decades perfecting healthier and hypoallergenic versions of all my favorite baked goods, so that I could LITERALLY have my cake and eat it too. And so can you! In this website, you will learn the basics of how to adapt any recipe so that it meets your dietary needs.

 What is an adaptive chef?

My whole life, I have been finessing things—from food to environments to my career—so that they fit me appropriately. (Because we all contain multitudes that deserve to be honored, right!?) I learned early on how to be an “adaptive chef,” so that my food could be what I needed it to be for my body to feel well and happy. I want this for you too!

An adaptive chef:

• Is not put off by a recipe full of ingredients they are actively avoiding.

• Understands how to change a recipe to make fit their lifestyle needs, without compromising on taste or texture.

• Feels confident experimenting with a recipe, tinkering with it until it suits their needs.

I have learned along the way that while baking may be an exact science in some respects, there are substitutions that will not sacrifice taste or recipe integrity and may even turn out more delicious. I found I can make versions of the treats I love that capture the taste and stay true to the experience of them. I hope the knowledge and examples here will empower you to try to make the recipes you love, to adapt them into healthier versions. Whether you’re trying to make a food allergy friendly treat for someone in your life or just make a healthy version of a treasured family recipe, you will come away with an idea of how to begin substituting the sugar, fat, or flour ingredients and making a dessert everyone (especially you!) will love.

Learn the why to know the how

In addition to sharing my favorite hypoallergenic and/or sugar-alternative dessert recipes, I will teach you, dear reader, the basic principles of ingredient substitution, as well as how to use these principles to adapt your favorite recipes and create new ones. And, being a medical professional and all-round data enthusiast, I will break down the science of the why into digestible (see what I did there?!) ideas, showing how simple it can be to figure out ingredient swaps so you can confidently begin your own experimentation.

Thanks for being here and please, read on!